Michigan Oncology Medical Home Demonstration Project: first-year results.

Launched in May 2012, the Michigan Oncology Medical Home Demonstration Project is an innovative multipractice oncology medical home model supported by payment reform. In the first year of the project, four oncology practices (29 physicians) participated and enrolled 85 patients receiving chemotherapy for a cancer diagnosis (96 new chemotherapy starts). By creating an oncology medical home for patients, the project reduced costs associated with unnecessary emergency room visits and inpatient admissions, with an average estimated cost savings of $550 per patient, while also enhancing payments to providers. The total estimated cost savings for year 1 was $46,228. In addition to the financial savings realized through reductions in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, the program also demonstrated that participating practices had high adherence to national and practice-selected guidelines, instituted advance care planning, and provided effective and standardized symptom management. The results are promising and provide evidence that community oncology practices will embrace the transformation to a patient-centered model with properly aligned incentives and administrative assistance.

Michigan Oncology Medical Home Demonstration Project: First-Year Results.

PURPOSE: The Michigan Oncology Medical Home Demonstration Project (MOMHDP) is an innovative multipractice oncology medical home model, supported by payment reform. Sponsored by Priority Health, Physician Resource Management, and ION Solutions, MOMHDP includes four oncology practices and 29 physicians. METHODS: Oncology practices used existing technologies, with MOMHDP providing evidence-based treatment guideline selection and compliance tracking, automated physician order entry, a patient portal, symptom management/standardized nurse triage, and advance care planning. To support changes in care and administrative models and to focus on quality, MOMHDP modifies provider payments. The program replaces the average sales price payment methodology with a drug acquisition reimbursement plus a care management fee, calculated to increase total drug reimbursement. Additionally, it reimburses for chemotherapy and treatment planning and advance care planning consultation. There is also a shared savings opportunity. MOMHDP will be enhanced in its second year to include a survivorship program, patient distress screening, imaging guidelines, and standardized patient satisfaction surveys. Priority Health patients receiving chemotherapy for a cancer diagnosis were recruited to the program. Results for this group were compared with a control group of patients from a prior period. RESULTS: In addition to the financial results, the project also accomplished the following: (1) adherence to practice-selected guidelines, (2) institution of advance care planning, (3) effective and standardized symptom management; and (4) payment reform. CONCLUSION: We have identified a number of critical success factors: strong payer/provider collaboration built on trust through transparent use and cost data; timing of clinical standardization must come from the practices, so they can effectively absorb new approaches; having comprehensive, written program documentation and consistently applied training facilitate practice understanding; existing, off-the-shelf technologies help control costs; independent clinical, administrative, and technical coordination improves provider/payer collaboration; everything takes longer than anticipated, including practice commitment, contracting, and technology implementation. Practices are willing to take on clinical standardization with payment reform. Neither practice size nor technology platform variation was a barrier to participation or success in the project. These results represent preliminary reporting from the first multipractice oncology medical home in the United States, to our knowledge, with payer support that includes payment reform. The results are promising, and the concept warrants further study, review, and reporting. [Table: see text].